All three north SPFL clubs who have had their season suspended will explore using the furlough scheme again.
Peterhead, Cove Rangers and Elgin City have had their fixtures up until January 30 postponed, due to the Scottish FA shutting down football below the Championship for a three-week period.
Mainland Scotland is under level four of the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 restrictions and cases across the country have been rising since the festive period.
During the last lockdown over the summer, between the 2019-20 season being ended and pre-season starting for the new campaign, a large number of SPFL clubs called upon the furlough scheme to ease some of their financial burden.
The coronavirus job retention scheme was extended by the UK Government last month until the end of April this year. It allows businesses to claim 80 per cent of employees’ salaries, up to £2,500 a month.
Peterhead chairman Rodger Morrison confirmed the club would be using furlough again over the coming weeks.
He said: “That has been a lifeline for most clubs and businesses, never mind football. Without that I don’t know where we would have been. We wouldn’t have had a team probably.
“It’s allowed us to continue at least playing, when things started up again. Now we’re in this situation once more, it’ll be a lifeline again.
“Everyone won’t fall into the category of furlough; we’ve got three new signings and the rules don’t allow that, so their wages will have to be paid.”
Elgin City chairman Graham Tatters said on Monday the club hoped to take advantage of the scheme again.
They used it last year as a means to keep the club afloat during the fallow period without football, with Tatters at one stage suggesting they would struggle to survive if the scheme was not extended.
Cove Rangers are also due to discuss their usage of furlough, with the decision to be taken at a board meeting.